'Rapping' Iranian Men
Not allowed to sing in Iran about the harsh treatment of women in society, the Iranian rap group Tapesh 2012 (Pulse 2012) is doing just that -- from its base in Germany. The group's latest song, "Ma Mard Nistim" ("We Are Not Men"), focuses on the Iranian feminist movement and its struggle to overcome violence against women. -RFE - 5/12/08
Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan agree an anti-drugs plan brokered by UN
Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan have agreed to step up cross-border controls to stop the flow of illegal drugs, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) announced today in Vienna. -UN News Center - 5/9/08
Iran ranks 87th in literacy rate
is ranked 87th in literacy rate among 139 countries in the world, state Literacy Movement Organization announced in Tehran on Monday. Over eight million illiterates have been educated since the formation of the Literacy Movement Organization in 1979. - 5/7/08
Tehran's girls-only schools to be enlivened
Based on the plan, the schools are to be provided with wide choices of entertainment, sports and recreational facilities such as table tennis and chessboard as well as gymnastic equipments. - 5/4/08
Iranian delegation meets with Pope
In a joint statement on Wednesday, both sides said they had drawn similar conclusions on several issues including 'the non-violent essence of faith'. -Press TV - 5/1/08
Marriage and divorce rates up in Iran
There was 8% increase in the country's marriage rate in 1386 (ended March 19, 2008), State Registration Organization of Deeds and Properties announced here on Tuesday. - 4/29/08
Barbie denounced as destructive by Iranian prosecutor
The blonde-haired, scantily clad Barbie doll and other western toys will lead to "destructive and cultural consequences" for Iran, the country's top prosecutor is quoted as saying today. - 4/28/08
One in four Iranian students sees no problem with alcohol
A new survey in Iran shows that 25 percent of university students see no problem in drinking alcohol, which has been strictly forbidden since the Islamic revolution, Mehr news agency reported on Friday. -AFP - 4/26/08
How To Spot a Persian Prostitute
Location, location, location. In the 1970s, Bostonians looking for a proverbial good time went to the "Combat Zone" and New Yorkers flocked to 42nd Street; in contemporary Iran, the holy city of Qom is known (unofficially) as a place of "both pilgrimage and pleasure." -Slate - 4/24/08
Iran hosts about 3 million refugees, mostly from Afghanistan
Iran is wary of heavy burden illegal immigrants imposed on national budget as Interior Minister Mostafa Pour-Mohammadi on Saturday put the figure of refugees in Iran at three million. Pour-Mohammadi He said that two million immigrants have entered the country illegally. - 4/19/08
Iran anti-vice chief 'in brothel'
Local media have reported that General Reza Zarei was found with six naked women in a house of prostitution in the Iranian capital last month. -BBC - 4/16/08
Our man in Tehran
In Tehran, a city divided between north and south, rich and poor, pious and secular, life carries on regardless -Guardian - 4/15/08
Persian, Pasionaria and Princess: In Memory of Mariam Firuz (1913-2008)
A month ago this day, on March 12th, a Persian Pasionaria, referred to also as 'Red Princess', died in Tehran at age 94, testifying to the tenacity of the foremost female Communist and feminist activist of Iran. Born a princess, Mariam Firuz never wavered in the pursuit of her aim to bring modernity and the emancipation of women to Iran. Yet, apart from a sympathetic obituary with some factual flaws, by Baroness Afshar in the Guardian (March 31st) and a few articles on Persian websites, the saga and the death of this remarkable woman has gone largely unreported. -Fatema Soudavar (Farmanfarmaian) - 4/14/08
Iran: Top Shia cleric says unveiled women turn men into beasts
"Women without the veil are a danger that the authorities underestimate," said Hojatolislam Seyyed Ahmad Elmalhoda, a powerful cleric who leads the Friday prayers in Mashad, a site considered sacred for Shia Muslims as it houses the shrine of Imam Reza. -AKI - 4/11/08
Feeling young again with 127 at Berkeley
On the afternoon of Sunday March 31, the four of us headed to Berkeley. Destination was Blake's, where Tehran's 127 band was going to play that night. I had met Sohrab, the leader of the band, in 2002 in Tehran when I went to their house to meet his mother Roya Monajem, a very fascinating woman who has written many heavy duty articles which I'm still struggling to understand -Ali Moayedian - 4/10/08
A walk with Emma on the east side of Tehran
I love Tehran and as the weather has become more tolerable I have been able to take some walks around town. Last week I took my friend Emma on a walk through the central east side of Tehran. We met near the central bank and started our walk from Berlin Street - so-called because it is next to the German embassy - where they sell all sorts of fashion and clothing items. -Syma Sayyah, Tehran - 4/10/08
Iran: Edict authorises online short-term marriages
Iranian men and women may from Wednesday contract short-term marriages online, according to a religious edict (fatwa) signed by Ayatollah Seyyed Mohammad Sadeghi Rouhani. -AKI - 4/10/08
Group keeps fervor up in Iranian young
Zahra Saremi took a different sort of vacation this year to celebrate Iranian New Year — touring the bloody battlefields of Iran's long war with Iraq at a week-long camp dedicated to martyrdom and patriotism. -AP - 4/7/08
American academic hails education in Iran's nomadic tribes
Sima Sediq, an American university professor, hailed on Sunday the way members of Iran's Bakhtiari nomadic tribes continue their education while moving from one place to another. - 4/6/08
Drink tea together to encourage peace: Muslim scholar
Getting to know people from other faith communities goes a long way to breaking down barriers, said Yousef Daneshvar, a Shi'a Muslim completing his doctoral studies in Canada under a student exchange program with Iran organised by the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC), a relief, development and peace agency. - 4/5/08
Iran's Ministry of Welfare and Social Security policies still based on charity: Social welfare researcher announcing the increasing subsidy escaping rate
Official statistics shows 9 to10 million Iranians living under the absolute poverty line, but experts estimations announce this figure to be 20 to 25 millions; therefore 25 to 30 percent of the population live under the absolute poverty line. This means there are some who are not able to provide their first needs for food, cloth, education and housing. - 4/3/08
BELLS TOLL FOR SAHEBJAM...
Journalist, author and War Correspondent Fereydoune Sahebjam has died at age 75. He was a well appreciated journalist on French Networks such as LCI channel as well as in French newspapers like Le Monde and Le Telegramme. His death was reported Monday 31st of March but he passed away last Wednesday at his home in Neuilly-sur-Seine. -Darius KADIVAR - 4/3/08
The Persian Girl Of Saint-Germain
Shushâ (Shamsi) Guppy born Shamsi Assâr (December 24, 1935, Tehran, Iran — March 21, 2008, London, United Kingdom), was a writer, editor and - under the name of "Shusha" - a singer of Persian and Western folk-songs. -Darius KADIVAR - 4/2/08
The Fifth Iranian-American Persian Day Parade, Showcased with Persian Pride in New York City
The spring vernal equinox, Norooz, the Persian (Iranian) New Year, celebrated for several millennia in the ancestral motherland, Iran, was once again showcased with an extravagant parade in New York City by Iranian-Americans. -Davood N. Rahni - 4/1/08
Iranians outdoors to mark Sizdehbedar
On Sizdehbedar, also known in Iran as the national 'Picnic Celebration', Iranians leave houses and head for parks, beaches and greenspace to celebrate a happy and healthy holiday season by eating traditional food, munching nuts and playing games. - 4/1/08
Portrait of a veteran Iranian revolutionary
For the past half century, Zabihollah Bakhshi – a religious militant – has been center stage in nearly every Iranian fight or street protest. -Scott Peterson, CSM - 3/31/08
OIC condemns "in the strongest terms" release of anti-Islam film
The Organization of the Islamic Conference added its voice to the growing criticism of a film released by a Dutch lawmaker, which features disturbing images of terrorist acts superimposed over verses from holy Quran. -IRNA - 3/29/08
Dutch Anti-Koran Film Appears On Internet
The overnight posting of an anti-Islamic film by a right-wing Dutch politician has sparked widespread condemnation and fears of a backlash. -RFE - 3/29/08
Iran Condemns Anti-Islamic Dutch Film
Iran's Foreign Ministry says European governments should move to stop the showing of a film by a far-right Dutch lawmaker that says the Koran incites violence. Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman, Mohammed Ali Hosseini, called the film anti-Islamic and anti-cultural. -VOA - 3/28/08
Best in Iranian media in 2007 chosen
An annual report/survey on the best in Iranian media in 2007 has been announced. -IJNET - 3/27/08
End of the Year Thoughts
The year that is just coming to its close was a year when for the first time in my life people talked about the weather in Iran as much as they did in England. All this talk was because we had one of the worst winters ever. Cold and snow seemed not to want to leave... -Syma Sayyah, Tehran - 3/21/08
Noruz in Iran: Customs and Traditions
Noruz, a festival marking start of the new Iranian year, is celebrated in Iran. Passage of time has not reduced importance of the traditional festival and it is being observed by people more gloriously each year than the previous year. - 3/19/08
Fresh Foods Ring in Persian New Year of Nowruz
Najmieh Batmanglij lives in Washington, D.C., but grew up in Iran. She has written several Persian cookbooks including her latest, Happy Nowruz: Cooking with Children to Celebrate the Persian New Year. -NPR - 3/18/08
Beglarian elected as MP of Armenian minority of southern Iran
Christian Armenians have two seats at Iran's 290-seat parliament while other religious minorities (Zoroastrians, Jews and Assyrians) have one representative at the county's legislative body. -IRNA - 3/16/08
Iran Invades Your Kitchen: 10 Ways to Cook With c
Pomegranates are a favorite native fruit of the Near East and feature prominently in Iranian cooking. To seed a pomegranate, cut it in half, hold each half seed-side down over a bowl and tap the skin with a heavy spatula to dislodge the seeds. -ABC News - 3/14/08
Tehran police chief found with prostitutes
Tehran's police chief has resigned following his arrest after being found naked in the company of six nude prostitutes in a local brothel. -UPI - 3/13/08
Photos: Literacy classes in Turkmen Sahra, Iran
Following photos are from literacy classes in Turkmen Sahra, northern Iran. Turkmens are among the several ethnicities in Iran. - 3/12/08
Iranians don't buy Iranian...
While needle-working a rather large circle on a square piece of canvas, pondering upon all the obvious and symbolic meanings of these two geometrical shapes, and trying to keep the threads of thoughts concentrated on specific subjects in the same way that cotton threads are controlled with the needle, I think about the Persian proverb: "Iranians do not buy Iranian goods" (including ideas, concepts, etc). -Roya Monajem, Tehran - 3/11/08
Muslim Heretics Conference - A Celebration of Heresy: Critical Thinking for Islamic Reform
According to Melody Moezzi author, activist and another conference organizer, "The Muslim Heretics Conference is an effort to bring together the wide variety of voices and opinions within Islam. Our aim is to respect and appreciate dissent and diversity in Islamic practice and thought." - 3/10/08
Historically significant women in Iran and the neighboring areas
1350 - 1300 BC. Politically Influential Queen Napir Asu, Elam, Khuzistan; Around 580s B.C. Aryenis, Queen Consort of Media; Around 584 B.C. Mandane (Mandana) of Media; and many more -Massoume Price, Culture of Iran - 3/8/08
Iranian to pay 124,000-rose dowry
An Iranian court has ordered a man to give his wife the 124,000 roses that he promised in her dowry, after she filed a complaint to claim it, reports say. -BBC - 3/4/08
Photos: Marking Arbaein in Isfahan, Iran
Arbaein is the 40th day of Husayn's martyrdom, and it is observed widely by the Shi'a Muslims. The following photos are from Arbaein commemoration held in Isfahan, Iran. - 3/1/08
Iran's 'diagnosed transsexuals'
Homosexual relationships are banned in Iran, but the country allows sex change operations and hundreds of men have elected for surgery to change their lives. -BBC - 2/25/08
Actress Mahnaz Afshar pays child laborers surprise visit
Actress Mahnaz Afshar on Thursday paid a visit to an organization in Tehran which supports and helps child laborers, and donated part of the money earned from one of her movies. -MNA - 2/23/08
Norouz , London, Iran Heritage Foundation
Norouz in essence celebrates the magic of life and acknowledges the balance of forces in nature, while mortals hope that the year ahead would be peaceful, devoid of illness and prosperous. - 2/22/08
Help Cyrus the Great Project
Filmmaker Cyrus Kar was captured by U.S. forces in Iraq on May 17, 2005 and jailed in solitary confinement for nearly two months while filming his documentary "In search of Cyrus the Great" the founder of the greatest and most just Empire the world had ever seen. - 2/20/08
Iran Jews celebrate Persian roots, seek to maintain shrinking community
Members of Iran's tiny Jewish minority gathered at the holy shrine of the Prophet Daniel in the southwest of the country Thursday to celebrate their Persian roots and keep alive a dwindling community. -AP - 2/15/08
Iran: Blessed Food
For many Muslims one of the most poignant rituals connected with the month of mourning, Moharram, is the free distribution of food. During this period, a businessman from Tehran, Haji Loloi, offers food to some 1500 families. - 2/7/08
Iran Sex Changes Get Mullahs' Money as Regime Persecutes Gays
Nasser didn't think much of Iran's Islamic regime -- until it paid for him to become a woman. -Bloomberg - 2/7/08
Iranian internet users number 18 million
The number of Iranians having access to Internet amounts 18 million connecting from homes, universities, or via the General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) of cell phones - 2/5/08
|
